Why the ‘Trump Wall’ should urgently begin construction in Texas first

WTC Construction proposes a design that aims to mimic a “rammed-Earth” construction style, which uses natural raw materials. The goal is a wall designed to look like an “extension of the surrounding landscape.” The system would include panels attached to reinforced concrete piers nested together to form a solid structure. (WTC)

Why must construction of the “Trump Wall” begin in Texas? According to Carlos Diaz, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection says they have “prioritized 28 miles of new levee wall system in Rio Grande Valley, 32 new miles of border wall system in the Rio Grande Valley, and 14 miles of replacement secondary barrier in San Diego.”

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Since 2006, the U.S. Border Patrol has reported 3,951,788 illegal alien apprehensions along the U.S.-Mexico border, including 1,160,545 apprehensions in the Texas sectors. Mexican cartels are becoming increasingly confrontational in encounters with law enforcement officers. Since 2009, there have been 94 incidents in which shots were fired at 124 law enforcement officers in Texas.

Penna Group, a Fort Worth, Texas company, proposes a double wire mesh fence that has a sheet of plexiglass lined with a one-way mirror allowing border patrol agents to see the Mexico side, but not the reverse. The fence would be 30 feet tall with a 6-foot footing, and both would be designed to sustain tampering by pickaxes, hammers, hand-tools, and torches for over an hour and a half. The double-lined, double-wire mesh design is often used in maximum-security prisons.Credit: Michael Evangelista-Ysasaga, Penna Group

“One of the fundamental rights of every American is to live in a safe community,” the White House states on their official website. “A Trump Administration will empower our law enforcement officers to do their jobs and keep our streets free of crime and violence. The Trump Administration will be a law and order administration. President Trump will honor our men and women in uniform and will support their mission of protecting the public. The dangerous anti-police atmosphere in America is wrong. The Trump Administration will end it.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) status indicators, over 225,000 criminal aliens have been booked into local Texas jails between June 1, 2011 and June 30, 2017. During their criminal careers, these criminal aliens were charged with more than 600,000 criminal offenses.

Those arrests include 1,227 homicide charges; 71,374 assault charges; 17,291 burglary charges; 71,790 drug charges; 729 kidnapping charges; 41,814 theft charges; 46,526 obstructing police charges; 3,962 robbery charges; 6,450 sexual assault charges; and 9,016 weapons charges. Of the total criminal aliens arrested in that timeframe, over 150,000 or 66% were identified by DHS status as being in the US illegally at the time of their last arrest. This only includes Texas as those arrested in these figures may have offenses in other states.

“The Trump Administration is committed to reducing violent crime,” according to the White House. “In 2015, homicides increased by 17% in America’s fifty largest cities. That’s the largest increase in 25 years. In our nation’s capital, killings rose by 50 percent over the past four years. There were thousands of shootings in Chicago last year alone.”

“Our country needs more law enforcement, more community engagement, and more effective policing.

Our job is not to make life more comfortable for the rioter, the looter, or the violent disrupter. Our job is to make life more comfortable for parents who want their kids to be able to walk the streets safely. Or the senior citizen waiting for a bus. Or the young child walking home from school.”—The White House

Gleason Partners LLC of Las Vegas, proposes a wall with solar panels. The panels would power lighting, sensors and patrol stations at the border site. Electricity sales from the wall to U.S. utilities and potentially to Mexico, could cover the construction costs in 20 years or less, according to Gleason Partners. (Gleans Partners)

According to Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) criminal history records, those criminal charges have thus far resulted in over 269,000 convictions including 501 homicide convictions; 26,893 assault convictions; 8,488 burglary convictions; 35,343 drug convictions; 248 kidnapping convictions; 19,011 theft convictions; 22,876 obstructing police convictions; 2,041 robbery convictions; 2,947 sexual assault convictions; and 3,750 weapons convictions. Of the convictions associated with criminal alien arrests, over 179,000 or 66% are associated with aliens who were identified by DHS status as being in the US illegally at the time of their last arrest.

“Supporting law enforcement means supporting our citizens’ ability to protect themselves,” The White House statement indicates. “We will uphold Americans’ Second Amendment rights at every level of our judicial system. Supporting law enforcement also means deporting illegal aliens with violent criminal records who have remained within our borders.”

“President Trump is committed to building a border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities. He is dedicated to enforcing our border laws, ending sanctuary cities, and stemming the tide of lawlessness associated with illegal immigration.”—The White House

Reilly Construction and Croell Inc., both of Iowa would use tilt-slab construction consisting of concrete with reinforced fibers that the company says would make the wall more durable and resistant to damage. The panels would be 30 feet high and 15 feet wide with a footing underground to prevent tunneling. The concrete material could be engraved, colored or etched to make it more aesthetically appealing or should there be an interest in establishing a memorial in some places. (Reilly Construction)

The DPS Border Security Operations Center (BOSA) issues a Ranch monthly overview of drug/human smuggling and other criminal activity in south and west Texas. The purpose of this report is to inform ranch owners of emerging trends and relevant incidents. The Ranch Crime index comprises rancher input of criminal traffic patterns occurring outside of main highways and roadways, and across ranch properties. As of May 31, 2017, the Ranch Crime Index is reported as 44.

From January 1 through May 276,630 pounds of marijuana valued at $1.7 billion has been confiscated. During the same time period, 5,960 pounds of cocaine valued at $366 million was recovered. Methamphetamine totaled 3,856 pounds worth $336 million and 619 pounds of heroin at $80 million were also confiscated.

The total of “Illegal Aliens” (IA) apprehensions was 59,438 and “Other Than Mexicans” (OTM) was 35,579.

The number of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) taken in the Texas sectors were:

2012— 15,485

2013— 27,827

2014— 58,827

2015— 31,109

2016—47,192

Human smugglers and IAs can circumvent inland US Border Patrol checkpoints by walking through ranches and farms, but the attempt is dangerous. From 2009 to the present, 551 human remains have been found just in Brooks County (Falfurrias Border Patrol Station is located there).

“It is the first duty of government to keep the innocent safe, and President Donald Trump will fight for the safety of every American, and especially those Americans who have not known safe neighborhoods for a very long time.”—The White House

During the last months of the Obama administration the number of illegal immigrants trying to cross the border each month was in the 25,000-30,000 range.

Congressional Subcommittee Chairman Martha McSally said the Obama led actions to protect the border was just “activity masquerading as effectiveness.”

Border States have been struggling. Texas Governor Greg Abbott blamed “the neglect shown by the federal government” on the escalating tide of “criminal enterprises,” including human trafficking, drug smuggling, violent gang activity and other problems in the United States. Abbott noted that Texas resources are substantially strained from the federal government blunders and policies the state must deal with, including health, education and welfare costs.